Historian, Former Ambassador, Human Rights Activist

Between 4 and 20 August the Saudi Arabian government beheaded 19 people. Saudi Arabia, which has funded and armed ISIS from inception (initially with CIA support), is now bombing alongside the USA in Iraq and Syria.

Forget the war technology porn regularly being broadcast by western media, with those spectacular photos of missiles erupting from ships into the night sky. Those missiles and bombs eviscerate and maim innocents as well as combatants, children as well as terrorists. The West always first denies, then regrets, “collateral damage”. The propaganda can be laughable. During the invasion of Iraq I remember a news propaganda item about how a cruise missile can enter a specific window, being followed by the next item – the US had apologised to Syria for two missiles aimed at Iraq which had hit Syria by accident.

If we can accidentally bomb the Chinese Embassy in Serbia, we can – and do – hit civilian homes near the proposed target. Being eviscerated by a piece of flying shrapnel is no less terrible than being beheaded by a jihadist. Let us not pretend that our violence is somehow nicer. Children will be dying under our bombs soon.

Other than the two extraordinary crazed Nigerians, there have been no recent Islamic motivated terrorist attacks in the UK and even a slowdown in the propaganda of phoney attacks. This was a threat to the major financial interests of the security industry, in both its governmental and private branches.

There can be no greater nonsense than the idea that the Caliphate poses a direct threat to the UK. This is even more crazy than the claim that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the UK. But by seeking to join in the bombing campaign, and initiating a new round of fake “anti-terror” arrests in London, the British government is doing everything it possibly can do to try to provoke terrorist violence on British streets. The interests of the security state are therefore secured. I am longing for somebody to explain to me the precise mechanism by which our bombing Islamic countries helps prevent terrorist incidents in the UK. The way it can provoke such incidents seems to me too obvious to need stating. Indeed it says a great deal for the wisdom and tolerance of Britain’s Muslim communities that it has not provoked more. They could teach government a great deal about the good sense of not resorting to violence to gratify passions and earn short term acclaim.

933 thoughts on “The Rush to Violence”

I suppose this forum topic is deprecated now?, last post above was nearly a week ago…

however a week is a long time in politics, especially Saudi Politics!

on the 27th Sept – KSA was funding the Sunni IS/ISIS/ISIL/DAESH/DAASH in a dash to overthrow Syria/Iraq then eventually Iran

whilst now, they are rather worried about the Shi’ite ‘coup’ on their Arabian peninsula (no umbrellas or “color” ribbons in view)
just the Shia Houthis, taking over Sana’a – 274 deaths in the last fortnight and the IRAN-backed rabble seem to be in control in the Yemeni capital that’s rather off message!!!

having personally ‘illegally’ crossed the border a few times between KSA & Yemen, I’d call the Saudi National Guard back-‘ome, disable the reverse gear on their tanks and peacefully invade over the beautiful mountains along the border, or get the US Army to invade on their behalf?

There is now a massive media outcry about the murder of Alan Henning. All the papers have several lead articles. He was all but forgotten when they were having the vote in Parliament to bomb IS, the thing which sealed his fate. They didn’t care much then… but not there’s a gory piece of voyeurism to promote some more bombing with. Hypocrites.